Yarn package



NOV. 21, 1967 J HQDGES ET AL YARN PACKAGE Original Filed Aug. 5, 1965 Iv 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I W2. r .wz.

I n 54 I Q INVENTORS ATTO e m; y

Nov. 21, 1967 J. R. HODGES ET A YARN PACKAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 OriginalFiled Aug. 5, 1965 Nov. 21, 1967 R, HODGES ET Al. 3,353,767

YARN PACKAGE Original Filed Aug. 5, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 United StatesPatent 3,353,767 YARN PACKAGE James R. Hodges, Green Acres, and Steve E.Zeis, Wilmington, Del., assignors to Joseph Bancroft & Sons Co.,Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware Original application Aug. 3,1965, Ser. No. 476,981. Divided and this application Dec. 21, 1966, Ser.

2 Claims. (Cl. 242-459 This is a division of application Ser. No.476,981, filed Aug. 3, 1965.

This invention relates to yarn feed mechanism and more particularly tomechanism for feeding yarn with a compound traverse motion.

An object is to provide mechanism of the above type for feeding yarn tothe bite of a pair of feed rolls or to a winder in a novel and improvedmanner.

A further object is to improve the feed of yarn to a stuffer crimper.

A still further object is to provide an improved core package.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of theinvention is more fully disclosed.

In a stulfer crimper having a comparatively Wide crimping chamber intowhich the yarn is fed by a traversing guide, there is a tendency forproducing variations in crimp characteristics in the yarn at the ends ofthe core where reversal of the traversing guide takes place. Afterdyeing and processing the yarn may produce undesirable stripes in theresulting fabric.

In accordance with the present invention this difiiculty is avoided byproviding a plurality of successive reversals in feed as the yarntraverses the chamber. In one embodiment this is accomplished bysuperimposing on the traverse movement of the yarn guide a reciprocatingmovement over a shorter path, such that the direction of feed isreversed at each such reciprocation. In this way any variations in yarncharacteristics are repeated at short intervals along the yarn so that auniform, overall elfect is produced.

This compound traverse motion causes the yarn to be laid in the core ina plurality of successive layers each of which is composed of aplurality of overlapped, shingled portions. As the yarn is fed into thechamber, it is crimped against the preceding, shingled portion whichtends to hold the yarn separated from the preceding layer. Theentangling of the yarn in successive layers is thus avoided with aconsequent improvement in the subsequent extraction of the yarn from thecore.

The core of crimped yarn is discharged from the crimping chamber in theform of a thick ribbon having a substantially rectangular cross-sectionand having a substantial Width. This core can be reeled into the form ofa core package together with a confining tape to form a spiral Woundpackage having a thickness corresponding to the width of the crimpingchamber. When one of the flat sides of this package is exposed, as bylaying the package on its flat side, the crimped yarn can be extractedby pulling the same in a direction parallel to the axis of the package.As the yarn is thus withdrawn the exposed end of the core progressivelyrecedes in a spiral path leaving the confining tape in loose folds asthe core is removed.

The mechanism embodying the present invention is also useful for guidingyarn to a winder with a double traverse motion and for various otheruses as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

The nature of the invention will be better understood by referring tothe following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings in which a speci- 3,353,767 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 ficembodiment has been set forth for the purpose of illustration.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section illustrating an apparatus according to theinvention with certain parts broken away;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of the apparatus taken on line 22 of FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale taken online 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken on line 44 of FIG.3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section of the apparatus on an enlargedscale showing the reciprocating yarn guide mechanism taken on line 5-5of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section on a larger scale taken on line 6-6 of FIG.3;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 3 showing amodification of the cam controlled mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 7 on a reducedscale showing the reciprocating mechanism applied to a package winder;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary vertical section similar to FIG. 8 illustratinga further embodiment of the invention as applied to a package winder;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section of a modified form ofapparatus wherein the yarn is fed directly from the core to a winder;and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical cross-section taken on line 1111 ofFIG. 10.

Referring to the drawings more in detail the invention is shown in FIGS.1-6 as embodied in a stuifer crimper comprising a block 10 having alongitudinal bore in which a rectangular liner 11 is carried. The liner11 forms a crimping chamber of elongated substantially rectangularcross-section. Heat may be supplied to the crimping chamber by heatingrods 12 which are inserted in suitable bores in the block 10.

A pair of feed rolls 14 and 15 are disposed to feed the yarn forcrimping into the crimping chamber. The feed rolls 14 and 15 have theiraxes parallel to the long sides of the crimping chamber and are mountedon shafts 16 and 17 respectively which are geared together by gears 18for operation at the same peripheral speeds. The shaft 17 is journalledin a fixed bracket 21 and the shaft 16 is journalled in an arm 22 whichis spring pressed to hold the feed rolls in feeding engagement with theyarn 24.

The yarn is fed to the bite of the feed rolls by a traverse roll 25having an inclined peripheral groove 26 by which the yarn is guided. Thetraverse roll 25 is keyed for sliding movement on a shaft 27 which isdriven by a gear 28. The traverse roll 25 is mounted adjacent but not inperipheral contact with the feed rolls 14 and 15 so that the yarn passesaround a portion of the periphery of the feed roll 14 in its path to thebite of said rolls 14 and 15. The axial length of the traverse roll 25is less than that of the feed rolls so that the reciprocation of theyarn caused by the groove 26 extends over a small portion of the axiallength of the feed rolls 14 and 15.

The traverse roll 25 carries an axially projecting hub portion 29 whichis journalled in a bearing in an arm 30 which is adapted to slideaxially of the feed rolls on a rod 31. The arm 30 has a cam follower 33which engages a cam groove 34 in a cam roll 35. The cam roll 35 ismounted on a shaft 36- which is driven by a gear 37 from a motor 40 at amuch slower speed than the shaft 27. The axial length of cam groove 34of roll 35 is such that the traverse roll 25 is reciprocated along theentire axial length of the feed rolls and the traverse roll rotates apredetermined number of times duing each such traverse of the feedrolls.

By the above described arrangement the yarn is fed from the bite of thefeed rolls into the crimping chamber to form a compact core of crimpedyarn of elongated substantially rectangular cross-section and is laid ina plurality of successive layers 38 which extend across the core in atransverse direction. Each layer 38 is composed of a plurality ofoverlapped shingled portions 39 the length of which corresponds to thethrow of the groove 26 of the traverse roll 23. It has been found thatthis pattern prevents the crimped yarn in the core from becomingentangled between layers and eliminates any difiiculty in extracting thecrimped yarn from the finished core.

The yarn is fed to the crimper from a cop 41 mounted on a bracket 42,through guides 43 and 44 through tension gate 46 to a guide 45 which ismounted on arm 30 in a position to guide the yarn into the groove 26 ofthe roll 25.

The crimper block is suspended from a frame 50 carrying a block 51having a bore 52 which forms a continuation of the crimping chamber 11and extends upwardly at a slight angle to the axis of the crimpingchamber. A curved spring plate 53 is disposed in the bore of the block51 with its free end 54 in contact with a core package 55 to bedescribed.

The core package 55 is disposed on a spool 56 which is keyed on a shaft57 journalled in a bearing in a bracket 58 and driven by suitable means.The spool 56 is provided with side flanges 56a one of which is removablefor exposing the package 55 for extracting the yarn therefrom.

A tape 60 is fed from a reel 61 around a guide roll 62 mounted on theblock 51 and over the core 63 on the plate 53 to be wound with the core63 onto the spool 56. The reel 61 is mounted on a shaft 64 journalled ina bearing in an arm 65 and carrying a brake drum 66 engaged by afriction band 67 having a weight 68 to control the drag on the tape 60.

In the operation of this crimper the yarn is fed into the crimperchamber by the reciprocating groove 26 in the traverse roll 25 which inturn reciprocates axially of the feed rolls 14 and 15. This doublereciprocation lays the yarn in the crimping chamber in the form of aseries of overlapped folds 39 which extend back and forth across thecrimping chamber in the form of successive layers 38.

As the yarn is fed into the crimping chamber from the bite of the feedrolls '14 and it is folded over and crimped against the mass ofpreviously crimped yarn held compacted in the chamber. As this core ofcrimped yarn is fed upwardly in the chamber, it is heated to a settingtemperature by heat from the heating rods 12 and then advances upwardlythrough the cooling chamber 52 wherein the crimp is set. The core 63then advances along the spring plate 53 while being held confined by thetape 60 and is wound in successive layers with the tape onto the spool56 to form a core package 55. The spring arm 53 flexes outwardly as thepackage builds up to its final thickness after which the spool andpackage are removed from the driving shaft 57 and placed in dischargeposition wherein one of the flanges 56a is removed to expose thespirally wound core and tape.

In discharge position, the end of the yarn may be pulled axially fromthe package through a tension gate if desired and fed to a winder forwinding onto a yarn package. As the yarn is extracted from betweensuccessive layers of tape, the core recedes spirally until the packageis exhausted. The shingled layers of which the core is composed reducethe tendency of the yarn to tangle or knot, as it is withdrawn from thecore package.

FIG. 7 illustrates a further form of double reciprocating feed. In thisform the yarn is fed to the bite of the feed rolls 14 and 15 through aneye 70 mounted on a carriage 72 which is adapted to slide on rods 73 and74 and through an eye 71 carried by a wire 71a attached to the end of arod 71b which is journalled in the carriage 72. The rod 71b carries acam follower 75 engaging a cam groove 76 of a cam roll 77. The cam roll77 is formed with a hub 78 journalled in an arm 79 slidable on a red 80and in turn having a cam follower 81 riding in a cam groove 82 of a roll83. The rolls 77 and 83 are mounted on shafts 84 and 85 respectively.The roll 77 is keyed to the shaft 84 for reciprocating movement similarto the roll 25 of FIGS. l-6.

The operation of this embodiment is similar to that above describedexcept that the yarn is positively traversed or reciprocated by the eye71 in its double traverse of the feed rolls instead of by the traverseroll 25 of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment the eye 71 travels in an arcuate path as the rod 71!;reacts in the carriage 75. This arcuate path is superimposed on thelinear path due to the recipro cation of the carriage 72 with the camroll 77. The yarn may be overfed to the eye 71, if desired, so as topermit the free movement of the eye in its double traverse of the feedroll.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8 the double traverse principle is applied tothe winding of the yarn onto a yarn package. In this form, the yarn isfed by the groove 26a of a traverse roll 25a into the bite between adriven roll 91 and a yarn package 92 which rests on the roll 91 and isdriven thereby. The traverse roll 25a and the drive mechanism thereforis similar to that described in connection with FIGS. 1 to 6 and thecorresponding parts have been given the same reference numbers with thesuffix a. In this embodiment the yarn is laid 'on the package insuccessive layers each of which is laid with a double traverse motion ofthe type above described. Such double traverse winding is moreself-supporting and less liable to tangle, is softer and more permeablethan the usual type of traverse win-dings.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment similar to FIG. 8 except that thetraverse roll 25b and driving mechanism therefor are mounted on abracket 95 which is pivoted at 96 and is spring pressed against awinding 97 on a driven spool 98. The driving mechanism has been giventhe same reference characters as the corresponding mechanism in FIGS. 1to 6 with the suffix b. A double traverse winding is produced as in FIG.8.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 10 and 11 the double traverse is produced bythe position of the yarn in the core of a crimper of the type shown inFIGS. 1 to 6. The yarn is extracted from the core in the chamber 11 overa guide roll 100 onto a package 101 mounted on a driven shaft 102. Asthe yarn is laid in overlapped, shingled layers in the core, it feedsacross the guide roll with a corresponding double traverse and is laidonthe package 101 with a corresponding double traverse motion. The speedof rotation of the package 101 is so related to the speed of the feedrolls 14 and 15 that the core of crimped yarn in the crimping chamberremains at a substantially constant level.

What is claimed is:

1. A yarn package comprising a compact core of yarn, said core having anelongated crosssection, said yarn being laid in said core in the form ofsuccessive layers, each layer extending transversely of said core andbeing composed of a succession of overlapped, shingled portions.

2. A yarn package comprising a mass of compacted yarn forming a core,said core 'being in the form of a flat ribbon of substantial width woundin the form of a spiral winding with a pervious. tape, the yarn beingdisposed in said core in a succession of transverse layers, each layerbeing composed of a plurality of overlapped, shingled portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,058,690 10/1962 Russo et a1242159 3,253,314 5/1966 Shattuck 281 STANLEY N. GILREATH, PrimaryExaminer.

1. A YARN PACKAGE COMPRISING A COMPACT CORE OF YARN, SAID CORE HAVING ANELONGATED CROSS-SECTION, SAID YARN BEING LAID IN SAID CORE IN THE FORMOF SUCCESSIVE LAYERS, EACH LAYER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CORE ANDBEING